You are currently running ad blocking software. Please be aware this may prevent non-ad features of this site from working properly, including social media icons, display of products in our store, and other features. [Close this notice.]

South African bishops oppose bid for registration of religious ministers

July 20, 2017

The Catholic bishops of South Africa have announced their opposition to a proposal for the registration of religious ministers with the government.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, the president of the episcopal conference, said that he understood the government’s motivation for the proposal, which is designed to discourage extremist cults. But he said that existing legislation allows for adequate measures to counter the extremists. “The recommendation that new laws be introduced to enforce registration of pastors and ministers is overkill and a response that one would expect more from a totalitarian state than a constitutional democracy,” the archbishop said.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

There are no comments yet for this item.

Stay in Touch!

Subscribe to Insights

Stay on top of the latest Catholic news and analysis from CatholicCulture.org.